The third of Nintendo’s four planned Xenoblade Chronicles Switch 2 Editions is available today.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is out now as a digital download, with a physical version coming on October 1.
The game is available as a standalone $69.99 / £58.99 release, or as a $9.99 / £7.99 upgrade for players who already own Xenoblade Chronicles 2 on Switch.
The Switch 2 Edition lets players control Blades in new action battles via a new mode called Merc Assault.
It also adds a new Blade – Momo from the Xenosaga series – who arrives alongside a new quest exclusive to the Switch 2 Edition.
The most immediate difference to players of the Switch version, however, will be the graphical upgrade. Xenoblade Chronicles: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition runs at 4K resolution and 60fps when docked, and 1080p and 60fps in handheld mode.
Also released today is the physical Switch 2 Edition of the first Xenoblade Chronicles, which already got a digital release last month.
The Switch 2 version of Xenoblade Chronicles adds a new high-speed vehicle, new equipment designs and voice acting for heart-to-heart conversations.
Nintendo has been working its way through all four Xenoblade Chronicles games, releasing Switch 2 versions for each of them.
Xenoblade Chronicles X, which was originally released on Wii U, got a digital Switch 2 Edition back in February, with a physical release following in April.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Switch 2 Edition followed, with a digital release in June and a physical release today. This was followed by Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Switch 2 Edition which, as reported above, is out digitally today with a physical release coming on October.
Finally, Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Switch 2 Edition will be released both digitally and physically on December 3. This version will feature “new defensive battles against waves of enemies”, a new Hero and Hero Quest, and newly voiced event scenes.
By the end of the year, then, the entire Xenoblade Chronicles series to date will be available as 4K 60fps Switch 2 versions. The series will continue next year, however, with a new entry called Xenoblade Genesis planned for released in 2027.
